I don't need to tell you that recovery is hard. I feel like there's not even an adjective strong enough to describe exactly what it's like. Exhausting. Frustrating. Trying. Discouraging. Recovery is far from a walk in the park. I know that I often get caught up in the things that I used to be able to do and now find difficult, or the things that seem easy but are almost impossible. But we should really be proud of ourselves for all of the simple things we weren't always able to do. You got out of the house today? That's amazing! You couldn't leave your bed today? You're still strong and I'm proud of you. You did something that scares you? You're a rock star. You were honest about your feelings? I applaud you. You made a proper breakfast this morning? Way to go!
All of these small tasks that other people don't think about are often times a big deal for those of us in recovery. I definitely need to keep reminding myself of this. I'm having trouble coping with school at the moment, and seeing my friends who have their life together and can do everything pretty easily makes me extremely frustrated. I feel inadequate, worthless. But a few months ago I would never have believed that I would be back at my public school. A few months ago I would have never believed that I have hair on my head. Speaking of hair, it's enormous today and I really regret not wearing a headband. It's ridiculous.
My point is, you shouldn't compare your failure to other people's successes. You are your own person, and you have your own battles to fight. Just because someone else handles a situation seemingly "better" than you do doesn't make them any better a person. Just because you have a panic attack at a movie theatre when your friends are perfectly fine doesn't make you any less of a person. Start praising yourself for the small things. Because they're really not that small.
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